A well meaning American Capitalist just gave a lot of money to China

http://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/04/the-limits-of-stephen-schwarzmans-scholarship-diplomacy/275340/

First of all you have to give Stephen Schwarzman kudos for using his money in an enlightened way, channeling it through a scholarship fund.  The fund will be used to establish a Program with the aim of deepening US-Sino understanding.    He will give away $100 million of his own personal fortune.   Another $200 million will come via other private sources.   Maybe he will even be able to raise money from Chinese sources, but I doubt it.    

Local Chinese that struggle to buy a house in Beijing’s obscene mkt will cringe when they hear the above number.   They will not be able to comprehend the grandiose statement that Mr. Schwarzman is trying to make.  In the view of many, it will also be viewed as an internal confirmation of just how rich a Capitalist can be.    

For the past week I’ve put scrambled notes to paper.  Here are my takeaways:

The obvious is the time constraint.   Each student will have one year, expenses paid in Beijing.  I’m not sure one year will be enough to appreciate the differences between China and America.  Indeed I think it will take at least one year just to properly comprehend how different we are from each other.

One third of the students will be from neither country.   Yet I think it reasonably stands that one year isn’t enough.  Not even close.  (See my final paragraph now if you just can’t wait)

Sooner or later someone will raise a complaint about only 30% of the students coming from China.

A few details were left out of the announcement, i.e. how will the students be chosen? 

Will they be required to speak some Mandarin?  Are we to assume that the Chinese participants will be required to speak English?   All the same, if cultural exchange is the point, one must assume that it will probably take place in the classroom, and not much afterward, unless casework is involved.

It’s notable to me that Mr. American Capitalist chose Qinghua rather than Beida.   Is it because the former was started by the American govt?  (Symbolism or coincidence?)

If MR. AC wants to compare this scholarship program to the Rhodes, will the faculty be able to stand up to the inevitable analysis of their qualifications?   Will there even be Western faculty?   How can one have proper exchange without Chinese faculty?  Can the faculty speak English?  I would put my American State School up against any top rate Chinese school any day, in terms of quality of teaching, or of faculty, without hesitation.   I just don’t think much of the quality of Chinese universities, where no one ever fails. 

And everyone will have a slow VPN.

Will the students have access to the NYT?

However, the Chinese government would be foolish to refuse this offer.   It’s really a smooth business move by Mr. AC, should he have any lingering business interests in China.

But how will the funds be accounted for?

Me thinks this will be more difficult than expected, and the opportunity for fraud will abound.

And what of the “no holds barred” variety of teaching, i.e. Western style?   I believe here Mr. AC shows his naivete.   China under no circumstances will allow students and faculty to have a freewheeling discussion of Tiananmen.  Same for the role of gays in China. China will not allow an independent cell to exist within it’s body. 

Never.

He should try though. 

The Chinese powers that be will ensure that certain participants in the exchange will give regular reports to the proper authorities on what is discussed in class. 

I fear he also forgets the nature of human beings.  In my university cafeteria I noticed one thing:  there was hardly any desegregation.  Ethnic groups by nature simply took to themselves. It’s human nature.  Expect the same thing from the Chinese and the West.   Unless a pretty girl is involved, I would think over time the longer the year drags on, the less of a cross cultural exchange will take place.

I remember when I studied in Beijing.  The Korean students held their own “Korean Olympics”.   No foreigners allowed.  

Yet honestly speaking do we need to have such an Exchange in Beijing?  Haven’t you heard we have 194,000 Chinese students in America right now?  How much more exchange do we need? Granted maybe only 27 or so have sincere cultural exchange with the native population, but something tells me that China, being the more closed society, has a steeper hill to climb, and one year just won’t do it.   The gap in knowledge and understanding is simply to vast to overcome in one year, for all cultures concerned.

It takes more than one year to appreciate a culture that has taken 5000 years to form itself.

Maybe this fund would be more important if the kids were to actually work in China afterwards.

And this is my major takeaway:  if Mr. AC wants to bring to our attention that there aren’t enough young people today interested in China, that would be because the American economy DOES NOT seek people with those skills.    Even the Foreign Service gives no special consideration to an applicant’s language skills! (Only in America…..) 

If he were to bring a core group of 20 students per year to Beijing, on a 3 year program, with guaranteed jobs waiting them in the government sector, focusing on China, that will, would be a big story.   That would put some meat into the program.  And be an investment with a return.